Encounter: At least nine Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada on Tuesday. The operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of Naxalites belonging to its west Bastar division unit.
The gunfight broke out around 30.30 am in the forest along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts when a joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Chhattisgarh Police, and District Reserve Guard (DRG) forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation. "Nine naxals have been killed in the exchange of fire between security forces and Naxals in the forest at the Dantewada Bijapur border," said Inspector General of Police Bastar P Sundarraj.
He further said that the intermittent exchange of fire lasted for a long duration, following which the bodies of nine Naxalites clad in 'uniform' were recovered from the spot.
Huge cache of weapons seized
The IG said that large numbers of SLR rifles, .303 Rifles and .315 Bore rifles were recovered from the Naxals. All personnel involved in the operation are reported to be safe. Search operations are ongoing in the area, and a detailed report will be issued once the operation is fully completed.
With this incident, 154 Naxalites have been gunned down by the security forces in different encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year, the police said
Three women Naxalites killed in Narayanpur
Earlier on August 29, three women Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in the dense forests of Abujhmad in the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh. The security forces also seized a large cache of weapons and Naxal-related materials from the site.
The operation, involving personnel from the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), and Border Security Force (BSF), was initiated based on intelligence about Naxalite presence in the area.
On August 24, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that the government will be able to free the country from Naxalism by March 2026. Shah assessed both the measures taken against the Naxal insurgency and the advancement of infrastructure projects in regions known as Red corridors within nine states troubled by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
He made the statement during an inter-state coordination meeting with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Chief Secretaries and Director Generals of Police of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states over the left-wing extremism in the area.
(With agencies input)
